Beautiful Day

Tuesday was a beautiful day. Here is a view of my road, showing you how the colors are changing. Today was the day of Jan's funeral and we were blessed with sunny skies and a beautiful drive to the church and cemetery with trees changing colors all around us.
Jan had helped plan this service so she had picked out verses that were special to her, and she had chosen songs. The message portrayed her well and showed her testimony of faith. One of the pastors said that although she knew death was near, when he left she would say "God is good". She was the same when I was with her. She didn't question why this was happening to her but trusted in God's plan for her and her family.
There were many friends and family at both the visitation and the funeral, and we are all able to be assured that Jan is in Heaven and all is well.
God is good!

Going Home!

Last night was difficult, but joyful at the same time. My sister in law, Jan passed away shortly before midnight. She was able to have some quality time with her family these last two weeks and say her good byes. She died with many family members around her and her husband and two sons holding her hands.
Of course, tears have been shed but there is such joy in knowing that she is pain free and reunited with her daughter and others that have passed. There are so many verses that apply in this situation, but I have been dwelling on these two:
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"We do not grieve as those who have no hope." I Thessalonians 4:13
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"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day" 2 Timothy 4:7-8

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We are able to grieve with hope, because Jan did believe and she held strong to that belief even through the different trials in her life. She lost much of her vision as a young adult, she lost a child and then developed the cancer that she knew would take her life at a young age. However, she kept the faith and was comforted by it.
Thanks again for your prayers and please keep praying for the family.

What a week!

It's been a tough week. I mentioned earlier in the week that Heather had car problems. It turns out it's some security thing in the ignition. Her car thinks it's being stolen, so it won't start. Of course this is not a cheap thing to fix and although it was supposed to be done on Friday, it needed another part, so we are left missing a car, with people who need to go to work and school on Monday.
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My sister in law, Jan came home from the hospital on Thursday. She came home under the care of Hospice and remains very sick. She will need someone to stay with her while Rog goes to work, so there is much to be done in way of arrangements. Please continue to pray for her and the rest of the family.
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I have mentioned that we were having another state survey. Many of you will remember when I have told you about the crazy things we are cited on. I think our cites this time top the cake. We have been cleared of our last cites, but there always seem to be more things to find fault with. I don't like any citations, but we are humans and we do make mistakes. However, when it seems they are just grasping for things, and I hear about what happens in some other homes, I get really frustrated.
Here are some of the things we were cited on:

1. The kitchen sent out sandwiches wrapped in foil. These were for a snack and as such were passed out to people in their rooms and the hallway. The state says they should have a paper plate with them and it is a dignity issue.
2. Our silverware is wrapped in a napkin. The state says the residents should receive another napkin. This is also a dignity issue.
3. The residents had bananas with a meal. The aides peel them and help them with eating them. It is (yes, you guessed it!) a dignity issue to have a banana peel next to them while they are eating! Of course, if you get up to throw the banana peel away, you have to wash your hands before you come back to the table and the resident has to sit there and wait.

We only got a few other citations, but you get the general idea. Another reason this is frustrating is that these people are like judge and jury. There is really no one to complain to, and the regulations are not in black and white, so each person reads them a little differently.
So - now we go back to work and write a plan of correction, so we are ready for the next visit!

Thanks for the prayers

I just wanted to update you all on how Jan is doing. She has received a procedure called plasma phoresus 3 times. It's a procedure in which they filter out the plasma and add new and it is working well. They feel her kidneys failed because of the large dose of chemo she had, but expect them to start working again soon. The infection is also looking better, but is healing very slowly. She said she is starting to keep food down and is even feeling a little hungry. She thanks you all for your prayers. Please keep it up!

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request for my blogging friends. Would you please pray for my sister-in-law, Jan? Jan is a few days younger than me, she has a husband and 2 sons who are 16 and 20. She had breast cancer 2 years ago and had done well until a month ago, when they found the cancer had spread. It is now in her bones and liver. She received one chemo treatment and then had to be hospitalized when she developed a bad infection. She has now been transferred to a bigger hospital because of more problems. We got a call tonight telling us her kidneys are failing and they are trying dialysis. Please pray for Jan, and also her husband Rog and sons Christopher and Max. Thanks to all of you - I really appreciate it.